February in April.

4-16-10 VERMONT: Big surprise this morning, two inches of wet snow. Rain was predicted, but snow only at higher elevations, etc, etc. Now, mid-morning, it’s rain and about 40°. Snow is sliding off the roof and thumping on the deck and ground. It’s hazardous to step outside and stand by the door.

Yesterday, in the sun, I started prep work on the veggie beds. I pulled the black plastic cover off, dug up the old corn roots and weeds, added three wheelbarrows of soil to fill holes, fertilized, limed, reset and repaired the soaker hose and recovered the beds. The plastic cover suppresses weeds, warms the soil, conserves moisture and keeps the veggies off the dirt. I need to do a bit more there, but it’s under the snow now. I buried that dead fox yesterday that I mentioned last fall now that the ground, and fox, were thawed out.

Another surprise this morning was a pair of ducks on the pond, Common Mergansers, this is a bit south of their usual range. Perhaps they were blown in by the storm. We also saw Evening Grosbeaks at the feeders for the first time this spring. Hummingbirds usually follow those Grosbeak, so I put out the hummer feeder this morning.




Snow Surprise.

Common Mergansers.

Evening Grosbeak.